Ladies Waist Maker Union Takes On the Task of Disclosing Fire Traps
Originally published in the Forverts, April 7, 1911
Firetraps, such as those at the Triangle Company, are still frequently found, and the Ladies Waist Makers Union has disclosed such traps to various municipal departments.
The union made a disclosure to the Department of Labor, among others, which subsequently dispatched inspectors to the “Eureka Waist Co.” and “New York Milliner’s Co.,” along with several other shops.
The inspectors found that in the shops they visited the workers lives are not safe. In some there are no fire escapes, while in others the doors open inwards. In yet others the doors are blocked, and in the case of a fire one cannot get through them. Other failures were also noted.
The Department of Sanitation informed the Building Department about a number of cloak shops that are truly firetraps.
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